A Painted Past

Antalya angrily wiped at her eyes as she entered the wood paneled hallway. Class was in session so she was alone. She looked down at her clothes and sighed. Her black shirt was too long and the sleeves fell down to almost the crook of her arm. Her jeans were too long but fit fine. Talya also noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes.

"Fantastic Antalya." She said to herself unaware that a door to her left opened.

"Excuse me?" A tentative voice called. She whipped around and found herself staring at the astonished face of a teenage boy around her age, "Are you alright?"

"Probably not." She said swinging her black hair back and forth. The boy half smiled and peered inside the classroom before jumping out and shutting the door silently. He came forward and extended a hand.

"I'm Maverick," He smiled and she let herself smile back taking his hand in a firm grip.

"You got a last name Maverick?" She asked releasing his hand. His bright green eyes smiled and he chuckled, his blond hair waving around his ears.

"Do you?" he asked looking down at her.

"Silverfox," she stated, "Antalya Silverfox."

"Russian or French?" he asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"French," she stated looking up at him, "I'm surprised you know that."

"I know things." He gave her a once over and she blushed unintentionally. "Last name's Davenport. Maverick Davenport."

"Are you serious?" She tried not to laugh but it came out a giggle. He sighed and looked at the wall smiling.

"Unfortunately so." He looked back down at her.

She gave him a once over. He had on a blue hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath it. His blue jeans were stained with paint and his shoes scuffed with dirt. His blonde hair was longish, hanging around his ears and going longer in the back. His skin was a little darker than hers and his green eyes glowed.

"Shouldn't you be in class Maverick?" she asked.

"Probably." He nodded and looked at the door. "The Beast won't notice I'm gone until the end of class…"

"Maverick Longfellow Davenport!" A blue skinned man with a mane of blue hair was standing in the doorway arms crossed, "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I'm sorry sir," he looked down at Antalya. "This is Antalya Silverfox, she looked lost so I decided to help her out."

The man raised an eyebrow and looked at Antalya, his gaze softened.

"You must be the girl Storm picked up." He said calmly extending a hand as well. "I'm Dr. Henry McCoy."

"Antalya." she shook his hand and smiled.

"You don't seem surprised." He stated meaning his skin and mane.

"Kurt Wagner raised me." she stated feeling a pang of guilt. Maverick furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her and Dr. McCoy nodded.

"I see." He looked at Maverick. "I trust you enough to show her around."

"Thank you sir." He saluted and the teacher snorted walking back into his classroom and shutting the door. "Okay what's wrong?"

"What?" She asked.

"I grew up with three little sisters. I know when a girl is upset." He stated and she bowed her head. "So what's up?"

"I got into a fight with Kurt." She sighed. "I'm a little stressed."

"Noted." He smiled and jerked his head to the other end of the hall, "Let's go, I have places to show you."

"So what's your mutation?" she asked.

"I can paint," he said looking around the corner, "anyone and anything, just tell me a name and I can paint it."

"Like an all seeing eye?" She asked as they turned into the foyer.

"Yeah. I can also blast energy out of my palms but that's a story for another time." He chuckled taking her into a well lit room with an easel. "Sit."

"Really?" She asked but sat anyway. He sat on the stool in front of the blank easel and looked at her through the side, taking out a brush and black paint. His green eyes kept a steady look on the pad and on her as she sat still looking out the window on impulse.

"Why the window?" He asked after several minutes of silence.

"I promised myself something a while ago." She stated simply, "So now whenever I have to sit still in silence I look out a window."

"What was the promise?" He asked looking at the painting taking out a different color and a different brush.

"If I die right now," She said in a whisper, "I swear the last thing I see will be sky."

They fell silent as he put down the brush and moved to look at her. He nodded slowly before picking up a small brush and adding several details before standing.

"Done." He said quietly and she looked at him in awe.

"That was like five minutes." Antalya stood and came over. He stopped her before she could see it.

"It was three hours." He said calmly and she gaped at him. "The Act of painting someone or something makes its sense of time messed up for a short period of time."

"Well shit." She swayed on her feet and Maverick took her shoulder guiding her around the back of the easel to the painting. She gasped. "Jesus Davenport."

"Exactly." He said dryly.

The Painting showed Antalya standing and looking over her shoulder onto the left side of the canvas. She was running to the right side of the canvas and was wearing a long purple dress with a sash around the middle, her hair flying away from her face. The sky was dark and dimpled with stars behind her. Her face was one of fear and her arms were wrapped around a bundle with a small face poking through a part near the top. A child. On the left of the canvas a spotlight showed a meadow with the grass stained red and a machine gun lying abandoned. On the right was a strange purple glow coming from the entire edge of the canvas. The moon above her head was red with an imprint of a howling wolf in a darker red.

"Maverick…" she began to talk but at the sound of how shaky her voice was she stopped. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him and saw that he was scared.

"I've never painted anything like this." He whispered. "Never."

"That's not me." she stated at last working around the lump in her throat. He jerked and looked down at her his green eyes disbelieving.

"What?" He looked at it closely.

"I'm in the painting though." Raising her hand she pointed a shaking finger at the bundle in the woman's arms. "I'm a baby in this painting."

"Maverick!" A deep voice called from the hallway. "Where are you?"

"In Here professor!" He called back clearing his throat and dropping his arm form her shoulders. Logan came in the door as Maverick turned to face him.

"Everyone's been looking for you two." He said scowling but stopped when he saw the painting. "What is that?"

"My mother." Antalya said covering her mouth and fumbling to take a picture out of her pocket. She held it to the side of the frame and her eyes flickered back and forth between the two. One showed her mother smiling and looking at a young Antalya over her shoulder. "Yep it's her."

"Why is there a wolf on the moon?" Maverick asked as Logan froze his gaze flickering form Antalya and the painting.

"Mav," Logan said clearing his throat. The teenager turned around and looked at him, "Storm was looking for you for some reason."

"Okay." He looked at the painting one last time before rushing out of the room. Logan stood behind Antalya as she looked at the painting.

"When I was born my mom wrote me a letter," she said distantly pulling another piece of paper out of her pocket, "She told me to open it only when I thought I should."

"I think you should." Logan said and she glared at him slightly before sitting in the window seat on the other end of the room. Opening the envelope she pulled out the vanilla colored paper and unfolded it. She read it silently as Logan took the painting and left.